What a strange and purr-ky cast. (L to R: Larry, Osiris, Richard/"Dad", and the black kitten.)
Catsing Call (Yes, the misspelling of "casting" is intentional) is an animated short film by Team S.L.A.M., consisting of Sophie Kernbach, Lina Schlotter, Anne - Sophie Bode, and Maren Schildmeyer. It was uploaded to YouTube on February 18, 2019.
The short stars two (mostly unseen) casting directors holding auditions for an unspecified production. The audition is for the role of a cat, and the auditioning actors are a variety of quirky cats... and a caiman.
They all "speak" in animal sounds, but we fortunately have subtitles to understand what they're saying.
You can watch it here
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This short contains examples of:
- Anachronic Order: Rather than showing each audition all the way through, the short jumps around in time, showing brief snippets of each animal's audition regardless of which order the auditions are in.
- The Cameo: The Bongo Cat meme can be seen at the top of the golden border in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer logo parody.
- Creepy Hairless Animal: Inverted. Larry, a sphynx cat (a cat breed that is naturally hairless) is shy but very well-meaning. Osiris, a very fluffy ragdoll cat, is the most antagonistic character.
- Cute Kitten: All the cats are adorable in their designs and mannerisms, although the black kitten and Osiris' servant are the only ones who are clearly kittens.
- Good Parents: Richard is a kind, fatherly cat who loves all of his (many) children. He even says that the auditors can call him "Dad" too.Richard: Hi! I'm Richard, but my kids call me Dad. You can call me Dad, too!
- Nervous Wreck: Larry. He is so nervous when he starts his audition that he accidentally makes a spoonerism, and covers his face with his paws in embarrassment. He also mentions that he used to go to theatre school, but had terrible stage fright.
- Never Smile at a Crocodile: Averted. The caiman is totally friendly, and just wants to be accepted,
- No Antagonist: The story is about two casting directors holding auditions. Neither the casting directors nor the animals are evil. The closest one to an antagonist is Osiris, but she's an egotistical jerk at worst, not a villain.
- Overly Long Name: The ragdoll cat's full name is "Osiris Dior Sauvage von Katzenwald... (it's implied that there's more after that), Descendant of Venezia Jupi-" and the scene cuts off before we can hear the rest.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: The caiman gets into the audition by putting on a cat-ear headband, sitting in a cardboard box, and meowing. He gets the part.
- Pun-Based Title: The title is a cat-themed pun on "casting call."
- Reality Is Unrealistic: The auditors are implied to not be impressed by the cats' auditions, but when the caiman dons a Paper-Thin Disguise and meows, the auditors are immediately wowed and say this is the best cat performance they've seen yet.
- Shout-Out: The short opens with a parody of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer logo, with an orange and white cat meowing in place of the lion.
- One of Richard's kids is named Killer Queen.
- Spoonerism: Larry does one by accident, as a result of his nervousness.Larry: Uh, is this the petting for the cast? I mean, the casting for the pet?
- Terrible Interviewees Montage: The whole premise of the short. Two casting directors hold auditions for the role of a cat in an unspecified show or movie. The cats (which speak in meows which are subtitled in English, and which the directors can somehow understand) each have various flaws. For example, Larry is incredibly high-strung, Osiris has an overinflated ego, etc. One of the auditioners is a caiman who insists he can do a good cat impression. In the end, the caiman ends up getting the part.
